New Police Union President Reaches Out To All Cops

April 06, 1993|By Sharman Stein.

Twenty years ago, Detectives Bill Nolan and John Dineen worked together in the Chicago Police Department's organized crime division.

Dineen asked for Nolan's help in winning support for collective bargaining. Dineen became president of the Fraternal Order of Police, and Nolan joined him to work full-time for the FOP as secretary and treasurer in 1981.

But those years of collegiality came to an end two weeks ago.

Beating his former partner by a 2-1 ratio, Nolan replaced Dineen as the head of the FOP. Last week, a clearly shaken Dineen was cleaning out his desk, while Nolan, his beeper sounding every few minutes, prepared to move into the president's corner office at FOP's Fulton Street headquarters.

The changing of the guard, on the surface, does not seem like much of a change.

Both men are of Irish descent and are in their 50s, with long careers in the department. They share similar backgrounds, philosophies and experience.

Like Dineen, Nolan opposes an affirmative-action clause for the promotion of detectives in the union contract.

Nolan, like Dineen, is a firm supporter of Cmdr. Jon Burge, who was accused of torturing a suspect in 1982 in a case that has been a controversy for more than a decade.

He saw nothing wrong with Dineen's proposal to hang a banner indicating the union's support for Burge on a St. Patrick's Day float-an idea vehemently opposed by African-American police officers and many members of the public.

But Nolan insisted that the margin of his victory-5,220 votes to 2,535-is proof that he has found support within the ranks, where Dineen had lost it. All officers under the rank of sergeant can vote.

"I was saying it was time to end one-man rule, time to bring the FOP back to the membership," Nolan said. "John has done a really excellent job of bringing the FOP to where it is today. But during the last three or four years, he lost touch. Too many deals were being made by John Dineen with City Hall that nobody else knew about."

Three years ago, Nolan supported Wally Siemieniak for FOP president against Dineen. Siemieniak, whom Nolan describes as a very close friend, died 10 days before the election, which Nolan maintains he would have won.

Dineen then asked Nolan to leave his full-time position at the FOP, and Nolan returned to the organized crime division.

"John had the reputation of only coming out to talk to the officers in the districts at election time," Nolan said. "I told them I'd be out at least once a week, once a month, just to stop and talk for a while, just to listen."

Nolan said he plans to convene a council composed of presidents of all the ethnic organizations representing police officers, such as the African-American, Hispanic and Mexican groups, "to let them know we're behind them."

Dineen, who isn't sure what he'll do next, said he was always out talking to officers. He offered only a terse analysis of his defeat.

"I thought we got a good contract," he said. "I guess some of them disagreed."

Nolan, 57, joined the Police Department at the end of 1959 after a brief career as an insurance underwriter. On the same day, another young officer, Supt. Matt Rodriguez, began his career.

After four years as a patrol officer, Nolan passed the test for detective. Later, he was assigned to the intelligence division. Along the way, he became involved in the union, winning office with the statewide FOP as well as with the Chicago local.

"Nolan is bright, intelligent, articulate, and heavily involved in charity, kids and family," said Jerry Gladden, chief investigator for the Chicago Crime Commission and a former Chicago detective who worked with both Nolan and Dineen.

Gladden said he doesn't know, however, what more the officers might want from the union that Dineen did not provide.

Patricia Hill, president of the 1,500 member African-American Police League, also said she sees no difference between Nolan and Dineen, especially involving those matters affecting the 3,000 African-American officers on the force.

The election of the new president will not affect her organization's lawsuit seeking to replace the FOP with an organization more representative of all officers, not just the white majority, she said.